Connecter for electric cables



Aug. 27, 1935. u. QUINTAVALLE CONNECTER FOR ELECTRIC CABLES Filed March23, 1934 Patented Aug, 27, 1935 coNNEc'rEn FOR. ELECTRIC CABLES UmbertoQuintavalle, Milan, Italy, assignor to Fabbrica Italiana Magneti MarelliSocieta Anonima, Milan, Italy Application March 23, 1934, Serial No."717,119

In Italy April 18, 1933 2 Claims.

This invention relates to connecters and has for its object a connecterfor connecting an electric cable with a terminal or equivalentconnecting part of an electric circuit, the connecter of this inventionbeing particularly adapted for connect-. ing an electric cable with aterminal of a sparking plug of a combustion engine having a connectingflanged head and a groove adjacent thereto.

- On the annexed drawing is illustrated by way of example an embodimentof this invention and Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of aconnecter according to this invention aflixed on a cable, said sectionbeing made on line I-I of Figure 3;

Figure 2 is a section of the connecter of Figure l, aifixed on theterminal of a sparking plug, on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1,

and

part of the connecter.

In thelillustrated embodiment the connecter comprises a flat guidewayconsisting of two parallel and spa'ced plates I, I connected with a socket 2 adapted to be located and fastened on the end portion of a cable]and to provide an electric connection therewith by means of a rivet IIextending throughout said socket and cable; said plates I, I' have eacha slot 4 which is confined at one end by a bridge portion I" of 'said'plates providing an arc-shaped edge 4" and has a size adapted to providefor insertion of the connecting head of the partgwith which theconnecter is required to cooperate, such part in the illustrated examplebeing the end of the central electrode I2 of' a sparking plug whichcomprises a flanged head 5 and a'groove 6 adjacent thereto.

A slide I is mounted to move between plates I, I and has a slot 8confined by .a circular are 9' on a portion of its edge; said slide 1extends beyond the end of plates I, I' and has a cut-in tongue 9 (Figure4) which is transversely bent at its root to lie adjacent to the main,portion of said slide and to enter thesl'ot 4 of one "of plates I, I asshown in Figure 2. The end edge 9' of tongue 9 is shaped to an arc of acircle, and this arc-shaped edge 9' is opposite to edges 4' and 8' ofslots 4 and 8.

Within the space enclosed between plates I, I

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a separate tween respectivebridges I of plates I and I thus and adjacent socket 2, is located aspring III which acts on slide I to shift it with the free and areshapedend 9 of its tongue 9 towards the bridge portions I" of plates I and Iwhich provide the arc-shaped portions 4" of their slots 4.

The section of the connecter providing the socket 2 for the cable andthe guide I, I' for the slide I is conveniently made of a length ofmetal tube which is flattened or depressed on a portion of its extent toprovide the plates I, I' in 10 which the slots 4 are then provided. Theresidual cylindrical portion of said tube provides the socket 2 in whichthe cable end is inserted and engaged by the rivet I I extendingthroughout said socket and cable and acting both to fasten the connecteron the cable and to electrically connect the connecter with theconducting core of the cable. The tapering section 2' which connectsplates I, I with socketi. provides an abutment for spring I0. acting onslide I.

For aflixing the connecter on a part of the kind illustrated in Figure 3and comprising a stem I 2 having a groove 6 and a flanged head 5 beyondsuch groove, the operator acts as shown by arrow in Figure 2 on the endof slide 1 which extends from the ends of plates I, I' and shifts saidslide 25 1 against action of spring III into the guideway provided bysaid plates I, I the arc-shaped end edge 9' of tongue 9 being thusremoved from transverse bridges I" of plates I and I" and the freepassage arising from registering slots 4 and 8 taking its maximum width;thereafter theop erator aflixes the connecter on the part I2, 6, 5 andengages the flanged head 5 of this part becausing the groove 6 to beentered by the edge of plate I in whose slot 4 the tongue ,9 extends.

Finally the operator releases the slide I and then spring I0 causes thisslide to engage the terminal and the arc-shaped'edge 9' of tongue 9thereof to enter the terminal groove 6; the connecter is thus firmlyfastened on the terminal and any vibration or respective motion isprevented.

To remove the connecter from the terminal the operator acts again onslide I in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 to release the tongue 9from groove 6; then the flange 5 may be released from plates I, I andthe connecter may be removed from the terminal.

nection is obtained which prevents any possible arching between theterminal and connecter as could be produced by vibrations or jolts,while the manipulations for aflixing' the connecter on the terminal andremoving it therefrom are easy and simple.

Of course the described connecter is subject to changes in itsconstruction and organization lying within the spirit of appendedclaims.

What I claim as my invention-and desire to secure by United StatesLetters Patent is:-

1. A connecter for attaching an electric cable to a terminal, comprisinga sleeve adapted to be connected to said cable and having a flattenedportion providing two parallel spaced walls forming two side guidewaysand having registering openings for location on said terminal, a platehaving an opening and mounted to slide in said guideways, a tongueintegral with said plate and offset to enter said opening of one of saidwalls and to lie co-planar with the same, said tongue and said wallco-planar therewith providing opposite edges for engagement with saidterminal,

and a zig-zag spring located in said flattened portion of said sleeveand acting on said plate to force it and said tongue thereof with itsengaging edge towards the opposite edge of said co-planar wall.

2. A connecter for attaching an electric cable to a terminal, comprisinga sleeve adapted to be connected to said cable and having a flattenedportionproviding two parallel spaced walls forming two side guideways,and having registering openings for location on said terminal, a platehaving an opening and-mounted to slide in said guideways, a tongueintegral with said plate and offset to enter said opening of one of saidwalls and to lie co-planar with the same, said tongue and said'wallco-planar therewith providing opposite edges for engagement with saidterminal, and elastic means acting on said plate to force towards theopposite edge of said co-planar wall.

ULIBERTO QUINTAVALLE.

' it and saiditongue thereof with its engaging edge 20

